Irishman big Steeplechase winner

AIKEN --- Paddy Young booted home 19 winners last year to earn more than $350,000, better than any other rider in the National Steeplechase Association.

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MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

Jockey Roddy Mackenzie and his horse, Beachcomber, take a tumble in the sixth race during the Aiken Spring Steeplechase on Saturday afternoon at Ford Conger Field in Aiken. Both horse and rider walked away uninjured in the 44th annual steeplechase.

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MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

Paddy Young (left) and his horse, Torlundy, close in on Swagger Stick en route to winning the fifth race of the day, the featured $45,000 Budweiser Imperial Cup.

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MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

Monica Vaughan peeks from under a fence to get a better look at the races.

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Young demonstrated why he had so much success last season on Saturday afternoon at Ford Conger Field.

The 34-year-old Irishman was the lone jockey to ride multiple winners on a sunny day at the 44th annual Aiken Steeplechase, including guiding Torlundy to an exciting win in the day's feature race, the $45,000 Budweiser Imperial Cup.

Torlundy, a 5-year-old gelding that broke his maiden last fall at Colonial Downs in Virginia, covered the two miles and 10 jumps in 3:40 4/5 minutes, the fastest time of the day.

The time fittingly came in the most prestigious race.

Torlundy caught and overtook Swagger Stick, with Will Dowling in the irons, after the final jump as the crowd cheered one of the day's closest finishes. Sermon of Love, trained by Jonathan Sheppard (two wins Saturday led all conditioners), finished third.

Young, wearing the bright pink silks of Torlundy owners Silverton Hill LLC, didn't need to ask the gelding for much after the final jump. He admired Torlundy's courage.

"He felt a little short, but you can't let that go through your mind," Young said. "He would kill himself to win, and that's what he nearly did today. He's never going to give up.

"He's a very classy little horse. He's just a phenomenal jumper."

Four Schools, the Irish gelding high-weighted at 158 pounds and considered one of the favorites to take home the Imperial Cup, tumbled over the first jump of the final lap and was never a factor.

Young's first win of the day came aboard Fleeting Thunder in the third race, a two-mile maiden claiming race. Young smiled when asked about that race, remembering he again didn't have to ask that gelding for much to win the $10,000 G.H. Bostwick.

Young said Torlundy "pulled up sore" after the race, which he could feel toward the end. He was hesitant to use his whip because of what he felt, he said.

"Hopefully, he just banged himself," Young said. "We'll know more in the next 24 hours. I wasn't sure if he had hurt himself that much, so I wanted to let him do it himself. Horses can bang themselves up sometimes, so it's not necessarily a leg injury. He's a game little horse."